The deadline for bill cut-off passed yesterday in Olympia, Washington meaning, if the bill did not pass out of committee, it’s dead. Seeing some of the bills that did make it out of committee, while others were allowed to, or made to die is very disconcerting. It’s as if common sense has no place in our state legislature.

Probably the most needed bill, Liz Pike’s HB 1788 that would have permitted local school districts to decide on their own if qualified, licensed and properly trained teachers would be permitted to arm themselves to defend students should a shooter access the school, bypassing several layers of security and violating every existing gun law, as happens in every school shooting, was allowed to languish, dying in committee as chairs did not even wish to discuss it.

Troubling in this is that the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Seattle Democrat Rep. Jamie Pedersen, stated that he “was not receptive to the bill.” What is troubling, if not downright hypocritical, Pederson has the right to carry a firearm inside the Capitol, concealed on his body during session as there is no effort to end the legislator’s right to defend themselves on the floor of the legislature.

America has seen another tragic incident where a madman has stolen legal weapons, forced his way into an elementary school and murdered 28 people, 20 of them small children. That he took his own life is of little consolation, having saved the state the effort.

As expected, the gun used now receives all blame as all across America, gun-hating politicians once again push for another “Assault Weapons Ban” as the previous such ban expired in 2004. That such a ban did nothing to prevent such murderous events is completely ignored.

Politicians imposed an “Assault Weapons Ban” in September 1994 with a 10 year sunshine clause, allowing it to expire in September 2004. During the time of that ban, we saw the following happen,

The longer these “Occupy Whatever” protests go on, the more disconnected the “occupiers” seem to be. Now that they have decided to release their “demands” and another work in progress document, The American Peoples New Economic Charter I am left wondering how these people expect to be taken seriously.

At one point in their documents, they call for an end to private sector student loans, saying such loans should be wholly subsidized. Later, they want forgiveness of the very loans they took out then state, “Get Wall Street out of the private student loan business and maintain fair and reasonable public loans for all students who need them.”

They ask for “Education should be funded with some of the $2 billion/week that goes to war-funding. At least 50% of it.”

They expect, “Socialize undergraduate level college. Make failing impossible to assure that everyone has the same chance in the work place post-college.”

They want to see, “Repeal “No Child Left Behind” [NCLB is basically a corporate $ maker. Make all education free from cradle-grave.”